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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778032">Nonsensical Blues</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyboykatsuki/pseuds/elysianseraph'>elysianseraph (prettyboykatsuki)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious Uzumaki Naruto, Pining, Stupidity, Surprise Kissing, shikamaru is really in love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 08:29:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,794</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778032</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyboykatsuki/pseuds/elysianseraph</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>shikamaru nara likes things that make sense. uzumaki naruto makes no sense at all. why does he like him, anyway?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(mentioned) - Relationship, Hyuuga Hinata/Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>ShikaNaru Event</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Nonsensical Blues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>waaa ~  i love shikanaru but this weekend totally came up faster than i thought it would. i spent all day writing this and ill probably spend all night writing the soulmates au for tommorrow. </p><p>day 1 prompt: canon with a twist | "i'd do anything for you," </p><p>this kinda falls into both but its more the second prompt. shikanaru supremacy anyways. hope you guys like! happy writing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One of the best parts of being little, as Shikamaru Nara remembers it was being carefree. <b><br/></b></p><p>He didn’t get the chance to be that way for long, anyway. Instead, as soon as he was able to think for himself - he was left questioning the world around him in every way. It wasn’t always, but sometimes, left with the lingering feelings of confusion and disarray. Sometimes things didn’t make sense, and Shikamaru Nara wasn’t strong enough to let it go. He was too young to be having thoughts like that, something he’d been oddly self-aware of. </p><p>Shikamaru understood most things, easily. But some things, particularly adults, were not one of those things. The longer he listened in, the more in discontent he would be. Choji didn’t seem to care much about it all, and for whatever reason that was more frustrating. Choji noticed the inconsistencies but wasn’t bothered by it at all, and Shikamaru wishes that he could feel the same way. He wonders if his childhood would’ve been easier in that case. Shikamaru was just apt to the world around him, too adjusted to deal with inconsistencies and too rational for any 5 year old to be. He didn’t know much about real life, yet he could point out flaws in adults they failed to realize. </p><p>Shikamaru came to learn more than anything, that some things weren’t worth his time. By the time he was 7, he’d come to figure out what things in life were trivial. His dad seemed proud, but his mom was sorrowful. Shikamaru walked around like he had the experience of a 70 year old war vet, yet it wasn’t exactly jarring. Most people were mildly off-put, yet it made sense. His demeanor and attitude wouldn’t change, and he wasn’t concerned with it. He’d tested his hypothesis enough times to know what adult things are real and what isn’t. </p><p>Shikamaru likes things that make sense. Things that are easy and uncomplicated, because the less he has to think the better. Everything made him tired, even at 7 years old. The prospect of doing anything more than necessary seemed to bother him to no end. The kind of existentialism that exists in his head frightens most, but to him such was life. Things that make sense don’t make him think, and when he isn’t thinking - he’s happy. Choji and him would hang out underneath the sky in silence, and just lay absolutely mindlessly to each other. </p><p>So many things in the world didn’t make any sense and Shikamaru hated that. Shikamaru didn’t want to think so hard about everything, but he had too. </p><p>He has a list in his mind, scribbled on yellow paper with pencil. His handwriting is terrible, even in his head. If you were to read said list, it would go like this. </p><p>
  <b>THINGS THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE ACCORDING TO SHIKAMARU NARA </b>
</p><ol>
<li>why everyone thinks he likes ino. she <em>is</em> the prettiest girl in class, but she’s troublesome. does he have to like someone? and why does it have to be a girl? </li>
<li>students going to school even when they’re sick, for attendance. isn’t worse if one kid is sick and then everyone else is? even if they’re skipping, whats the point in making them go? </li>
<li>adults telling him to be nicer when all of them are mean to uzumaki naruto, all the time. </li>
<li>uzumaki naruto. </li>
</ol><p>The last two, in Shikamaru's opinion make no sense at all. At 7 years old, Shikamaru Nara is faced with the strange reality that is Naruto Uzumaki, who he doesn’t have any real opinions on except that he doesn’t make sense. Not to Shikamaru, or anyone else. The bright-eyed blonde leaves his mind in more pieces than whole yet he finds himself at the breakfast table with every question under the sun. </p><p>Uzumaki Naruto makes no sense at all, not to him anyways. He yells often in class, and skips it too. He doesn’t know much basic ninja stuff, or academic stuff - but he keeps yelling about being hokage. He’s loud too early in the mornings and dopey, and Shikamaru Nara doesn’t understand how one person can have such a carefree attitude. Naruto wasn’t like Choji, who was laidback and aware of the dangers that followed. </p><p>No, no - Naruto was nothing like that. Instead, everything he did make Shikamaru's mouth curve into a question mark before shooting a million questions off his mind. Choji knew, but chose to avoid it. But Naruto is enigmatic even in his animal instincts - because it seems like he knows that the world is inconsistent. But he lives, anyways  - in spite of it. In spite of everyone in Konoha looking at him the way that they do. Shikamaru doesn’t understand why everyone hates Naruto, but he especially doesn’t understand why Naruto doesn’t hate them back. </p><p>Even Shikamaru can admit defeat, and in Naruto's shoes he would’ve fallen into that long ago. Shouldn’t you hate the people that hate you? Doesn’t that only make sense? That way things are simple, and make sense and are entirely uncomplicated. He knows things that are uncomplicated are easier to swallow and deal with. Hating someone who hates you and makes your life miserable, it should be something that makes sense, even in the smallest of ways.</p><p>But, just like Shikamaru couldn’t under any of the hushed whispers or unkinds words that are thrown at Naruto - he especially doesn’t understand why Naruto never even thinks to throw them back. He thinks Naruto is annoying because he’s loud, and kinda stupid, but he isn’t the worst person in his class. Not worse than Sasuke or Kiba - he’s just Naruto. But it seems like every adult within 10 feet of him can’t stand his guts. </p><p>He isn’t Naruto, so he figures he can’t say for sure. But surely, Naruto knows that right? So why doesn’t he do or say anything? Instead, Shikamaru watches Naruto do whatever he wants. He watches as he climbs the Hokage monuments and paints them, and watches as he recklessly wreaks havoc in Konoha. But, he never does anything more. Nothing that makes him hateable. </p><p>It bothers Shikamaru so much that he asks his dad what he thinks. His dad is one of the few adults in the whole village that Shikamaru trusts so with a furrow of brows he asks his dad at the breakfast table about the one person and one thing that Shikamaru simply can’t understand. Shikaku smiles at him in that weird, knowing adult way that Shikamaru hates. He hates not knowing something just because adults feel like he shouldn’t. They were only right half of the time. </p><p>“Dad,” Shikamaru's voice is stern. His mother cleans dishes as him and Shikaku eat breakfast at the table. The lulling sound of running water serves as background noise and Shikaku looks curiously at the boy across the table. “Why does everyone hate Naruto?,” </p><p>The question catches Shikaku by surprise. He doesn’t say anything more than, instead searching for answers in the stitching of his sons brow like he knows answers have been before. He almost feels bad, because he knows Shikamaru could handle the information - even at 7. But Shikaku can’t disclose it, so he doesn’t. Instead, he twists the question on its head and hands it back. </p><p>“Well, what do you think of Naruto?,” </p><p>His mother joins them at the dinner table then, smiling fondly at her two boys. Shikamaru scrunches his face up when he sees them kiss, but answers the question anyways. He picks at his breakfast as he does. </p><p>“He’s dumb and kinda loud, but he’s not so bad,” Shikamaru says with a shrug. A sense of longing settles in Shikaku's eyes - he wishes everyone could be like that to the boy. He knows he's not brave enough, so he instead nudges the son he thinks could be. He remains neutral in his expression and shrugs. </p><p>“Then, you should decide how you treat Naruto,” he takes a sip of the plain black tea that sits on the table, that Shikamaru also doesn’t like. Shikamaru doesn’t feel like his question had been answered, but for whatever reason - he takes heed to his word. He’s never really understood weird adult mind games anyways, so he figures this was about the response he would get. He grumbles something about how irritating adults were before he walks off to class that day. It was a waste of time to ask adults such questions anyways.  </p><p>Shikamaru, whether he realized it or not, had made it his mission to ask Naruto about the situation at hand. To advise him maybe, on why it would be better for his sake to hate them back. The whole school day passes him by until him, Naruto, and Choji end up at the monkeybars and Naruto is hanging - kicking his feet to try and hang from them too. Choji is eating snacks and watching butterflies, minding his business. But, Shikamaru is watching Naruto intently. </p><p>“Oi,” Shikmaru watches Naruto hang upside down. Naruto looks at him curiously, blinking at him as he hangs “You know the village hates you, right?,” </p><p>He’s being purposeful about the harsh word choice. It startles Choji, who tunes in but pretends not to. Shikamaru stares at Naruto, watching his face carefully. Expecting something, some kind of hidden emotion brought to light. Nothing is found, except the gentle hum of Naruto's voice. </p><p>“Well, I wanna be hokage someday. And -,” Naruto scratches his head, before smiling with all of his teeth. It startles Shikamaru where he stands, feeling cemented in place as he looks at Naruto's smile “So if I hate them back, they’ll really never like me. Plus, if I did that then I’d be just like them,” </p><p>Naruto huffs, and then giggles all at once and Shikamaru's heart is pounding. He’s wondering if he’s having a heartache at how loud it’s being. He just stares at Naruto in disbelief, who smiles at him cheekily and then continues </p><p>“And I dunno - don’t wanna be like those stinkin’ adults, anyway,” he finishes with a goofy upside down shrug. It’s the kind of vulgarity that makes Choji giggle distantly. Shikamaru can’t find himself smiling. Too caught up in the new feeling the conversation brings him to do anything but stare at Naruto Uzumaki. The one, and only person - that made him question himself the way he has. He feels his skin get hot, so he scoffs. </p><p>“You’re weird,” is what he says. Only because it’s really all he can manage at 7 years old - and he cites Naruto Uzumaki to be the first person to leave him truly speechless. Shikamaru wouldn’t know how much that would change him then but it would. </p><p>_ </p><p>It’s precisely at 13 when Shikamaru Nara discovers just how much he wants to follow Naruto Uzumaki. He chalks it up to morbid curiosity but anyone with 10 feet of 13 year old Shikamaru can see how clear everything else is. For once, Shikamaru is the person who can’t see the obvious. Choji knew two years ago, and Ino too. Those two find it rather hard to miss how much Shikamaru seems willing to sacrifice for the all-too oblivious blonde. </p><p>Shikamaru is both very aware and terribly unaware of his feelings for the blonde boy. Ino finds it especially painful but her relationship to Sakura begs too many questions, so Choji is left to deal with the extreme pining from both of his closest friends. It’s, to be entirely frank, not his business. So most days, he lets Naruto tag along with him and Shikamaru and wordlessly lets Shikamaru fixates on his muse until they go home. It doesn’t bother Choji, though he sometimes wishes it did. </p><p>It’s been 6 years, and the only thing Shikamaru knows now is that Naruto Uzumaki still makes no sense in his mind. He’s afraid that he never will, and thought alone sends chills down his spine. Naruto has only grown to be more strange, in his eyes. He watches silently as he chases his dreams, and Sasuke, and all sorts of things that really don’t seem very rational. He’s learned that Naruto just isn’t a very rational person, but he’s almost nonsensical. Made up of stories and ideas that are so wrong they almost feel unreal. Shikamaru is almost always in disbelief at just how much Naruto does not know. How many things Naruto doesn’t care about. </p><p>Shikamaru still cares so much about everything. He cares so much about everything all the time, and he has no specific goals he wishes to achieve. Naruto's dream of being Hokage used to feel like nothing but a childish wish - but he’s held onto it for 6 years. Shikamaru has to admit that he admires that - the ability to tunnel vision on your dreams. Naruto trains until the sun goes down, he watches him walk home on random late nights exhausted. He doesn’t like school, but he tries harder than Shikamaru ever has or will. It makes him tired to watch yet… </p><p>Yet Shikamaru doesn’t want to fall behind. He watches as the blonde trains his body, a bead of sweat sliding down his skin as he takes a deep breath and suddenly Shikamaru feels lame to just let himself go too. It’d been like that for 6 years, even if he’d joke about how pathetic it’d be to fall behind Naruto. In his heart he knows it’s a ruse, one means to cover up the simple fact he admires him. So much that it forces him to be a little more himself. No one really knows where the sudden jolts of that come in, but Shikamaru just has to look at Naruto. </p><p>Sasuke is Naruto's rival, but Shikamaru admires him. And when Sasuke leaves the village and leaves Naruto in devastation - Shikamaru pushes the ache in his chest to the pit of his stomach and swears he’ll do as much as he can to bring him back. To make everything work, even if it kills him. It’s only after everything, when everyone is injured does Shikamaru realize the weight of what he’s done. Which risks everything for Naruto Uzumaki without any doubt or hesitation in his heart - absolutely blindsided. </p><p>When Shikamaru forces himself to reflect on it, none of the explanations add up completely. This is the first time that Shikamaru addresses his not entirely conventional feelings for Naruto. He lays in bed the next night, after everything finally settles forreal before staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Silently, he recalls every detail about Naruto that he’d ever learned, and the idea hits him in the pit of his stomach. </p><p>He feels like he’s gasping for air, reaching haphazardly for another pillow to cover his face as he groans loudly into it. Fuck, fuck, fuck - could this really be what he think it is? Shikamaru never once believed he would ever find himself catching feelings for anyone, less than a guy. Even less than that, Naruto Uzumaki who absolutely doesn’t have any interest in him. Shikamaru wishes he were just a little more clueless, because he knows that conclusion couldn’t be reached if he was. </p><p>He doesn’t know if he’s incredibly lucky or unlucky when Naruto gives him the news of his departure in the days after. Shikamaru finds himself sitting curbside with Naruto the night before, sharing an ice cream in the quiet silence of the summer night. Nothing is very clear in his head at all, aside from the sound of gnats and buzz of cicadas and Naruto who eats his icecream with enthusiasm. Shikamaru ignores the butterflies that appear at the prospect of him being alone with Naruto, and instead trades his worries for solace at the thought of Naruto disappearing for two years. </p><p>“You’re really gonna be gone,” Shikamaru mumbles the words. He almost feels helpless at the way it all gnaws at him, but Naruto is seemingly unaware. Or maybe, he is all too aware of Shikamaru's feelings and spares him anyway. He nods his head at the statement. </p><p>“I’m really gonna miss everyone,” Naruto says, and Shikamaru wishes he added “especially you” to the end. He shakes the thought off, not knowing that that’s exactly what Naruto wanted to say and stares at Naruto hard. Even then, Shikamaru thinks Naruto is cuter than people give him credit for. “But I gotta get stronger and bring Sasuke home. I gotta become Hokage too, yanno,” Naruto says with a smile. Shikamaru grows quiet, watching ice cream drip from the cone and onto the floor.</p><p>“We’re gonna miss you too,” Shikamaru adds, with a quiet voice “So you better hurry and get stronger so we don’t surpass you,” </p><p>“Believe it!,” Naruto's voice is almost too loud, but to Shikamaru he’s flooded with an incomparable sense of relief. There's a Naruto sized gap settled in the core of his heart that frustrates him. But Naruto smiles anyways, at Shikamaru no less. So Shikamaru smiles back and shakes his head at the whole thing. </p><p>“You know you’d be a great Hokage, Shikamaru,” Naruto says off-handed. He makes a noise of disapproval. </p><p>“Too much work and energy, but if you become Hokage forreal,” Shikamaru reaches out a pinky with a stupid smile on his face. “Then I’ll make sure to advise you,” </p><p>Naruto beams at that, reaching his pink out for Shikamaru. The contact sends electricity up his back, but Shikamaru doesn’t say anything. In reality - there's a lot Shikamaru is willing to do. Both for Naruto and his dream. There are more proper words for the things he feels, but those words feel much more complicated. So he settles in the subtext of the conversation they have now. None of it makes sense, and if he thinks too hard about that - he gets frustrated. </p><p>But, with Naruto around he doesn’t have to think much at all. </p><p>Wordlessly, Naruto leans his head on Shikamaru's shoulders. Shikamaru lets him in the same quiet.</p><p>_ </p><p>In the many years that gap this experience, life continues to take Shikamaru Nara by intense surprise. The events that follow as soon as Naruto appears in Konoha again are a great example of just how enigmatic he can be. Just like Shikamaru had always known him to be. </p><p>Yes, when Naruto Uzumaki returns to the village in the middle of the afternoon - his existence triggers everything. Shikamaru watches all the vents that follow in his wake, and he does everything he can to make sure Naruto Uzumaki achieves his dream of becoming Hokage. He watches simply, and quietly through every detail. He watches Naruto save Gaara of the sand. He watches him become the hero of the village. He watches Naruto try and fail to bring Sasuke home. He watches Naruto fight the war by his side, and lose an arm. The same war Shikamaru nearly dies in but refuses too. Oh so stubbornly, making sure that he’s alive when Naruto Uzumaki becomes Hokage. </p><p>Making sure that he’s that bastard's future advisor. If it's the last thing he’s ever gonna do. </p><p>When Sasuke goes out for redemption, everything in the village is different. Naruto never marries, and instead goes straight into work as Hokage a few years after Kakashi who insists that Naruto should enjoy his 20’s as much as possible. He’s 27 when he formally becomes hokage - and at that point, Shikamaru had been so incessantly busy he didn’t know much about what was going on with Naruto personally. He knows things with Hinata fizzled out but she was happy with Kiba. He knows that Naruto misses Sasuke often and wonders what that could’ve been in a different case. </p><p>Naruto joins Shikamaru in the Hokage's office at 27 years old. He teaches Naruto everything he needs to know, and advises him as promised. Shikamaru wakes up every morning more content than when he went to bed the night prior - just aching to see Naruto in the office everyday. They spend so many late nights together, it almost feels like neither of them want to come home. Shikamaru puts his jacket on Naruto's shoulders when he sleeps. Naruto brings Shikamaru food because he gets too caught up in his job. Both of them tell each other to go home, but neither of them really do. </p><p>It is another one of those nights, when Shikamaru and Naruto finish paperwork in the rushed silence of the night. The office lights are turned on but it’s dark outside, Naruto keeps falling over as he makes an attempt to finish his paperwork. He narrowly misses hitting his head on the desk and Shikamaru sighs. Standing up, he takes the pen from Naruto's hand and looks at him with hardened brows. </p><p>“Go home, Naruto,” Shikamaru scolds, pinching the bridge of his nose “Even I can tell you’re too tired to work right now,” </p><p>Naruto groans, lightly hitting his head on some papers. He doesn’t want to go home, but he doesn’t wanna keep working either. </p><p>“Shika-chan,” Naruto says with a whine, like an insolent child “Home is so boring. There’s no one there. I’m tired of going home to that,” he says with exaggerated frustration. Shikamaru understands his qualms, but isn’t really sure what to say - he genuinely just wants Naruto to sleep. </p><p>He stares at the empty space on the couch and then sighs, sitting next to Naruto whose head is laid firmly on the desk. He nudges his shoulder with a roll of eyes, but really he’s happy to spend more time with Naruto. </p><p>“At least go sleep on the couch for a bit,” he says with a deep sigh “So you don’t die from exhaustion before you have someplace to go home to,” </p><p>Naruto smushes his face in his arms but turns to Shikamaru anyways. Shikamaru can’t help but erupt with laughter - he might be Hokage but he’s ultimately still just Naruto. Shikamaru stares at his pout with a soft, gentle smile. The moment is rather intimate but neither of them ever question things like that. Instead Naruto lies and watches Shikamaru, curiously. </p><p>“Why aren’t you married, Shikamaru?,” Naruto asks sincerely. Shikamaru winces a little at the question, rolling his eyes at the hypocrisy. He scoffs a little at the question </p><p>“If the Hokage of the village is single, none of us have a chance,” Shikamaru says lightly. Naruto groans. </p><p>“Hey! I’m being serious. I totally thought you and Temari would’ve ended up together,” </p><p>Shikamaru smiles at that. It means Naruto was paying attention - at the very least a little bit to what Shikamaru did. He shakes his head, patting his pocket instinctively for a cigarette. He knows he can’t smoke in here, but he’s picked up the habit for anxiety. He looks at Naruto, lips curled up into a teasing smile. He decides there's no harm in having a little fun right now. </p><p>“I’ve had my eyes on someone else for a long time,” Shikamaru comments casually. Naruto chokes and sputters at the revelation, immediately sitting up straight. He’s confident that this won't go anywhere. </p><p>“Huh?! Shikamaru, how dare you keep this from me,” Naruto whines. Shikamaru rolls his eyes. “Well what’s she like?,” </p><p>Shikamaru laughs. Maybe it’s the eating for sleep at his eyes in the late hours of the night, or the anxious curling desire of a cigarette in his stomach, or solely Naruto looking at him with an adorable pout that makes him lose his inhibitions. Though his feelings for Naruto were never meant to be hidden, they just ended up that way. Shikamaru was happy for Naruto, no matter the circumstances. If he were to be married, Shikamaru would be happy for him then too. </p><p>Naruto Uzumaki confuses him. He doesn’t make any sense, even two decades later. The only thing Shikamaru has learned from Naruto other than everything, is the fact that the things that matter most often don’t make any sense at all. This used to frustrate Shikamaru, but now it puts him at ease. To turn his mind off when it came to dealing with the Lord Hokage made everything inside of him sit steady. Naruto would never change - his tunnel vision dreams and inhibitions would leave Shikamaru with a sense of comfort he could never find anywhere else. </p><p>Shikamaru thinks it’s funny to bring it up. He doesn’t care what may come of it, even if Naruto manages to figure it out. </p><p>“They’re blonde with blue eyes,” Shikamaru says with a lull in his voice. He pats his pocket and looks at Naruto - fuck, he really needs a smoke. Naruto sighs, turning around and opening a window before returning to his original position with curiosity. “Kinda loud, and a little annoying. We grew up together,” Shikamaru says distantly, taking a drag from his cigarette.</p><p>“Ino-sans eyes aren’t blue,” Naruto says with a pout. Shikamaru chokes out a laugh at that, feeling awfully carefree. He’s confident in nothing really changing, but the idea of getting discovered sends his heart pounding. Or maybe Naruto just makes him feel like that in general. </p><p>“Yours sure are,” Shikamaru says with a snort. </p><p>What Shikamaru doesn’t expect is the silence. The short, quiet, and thick silence that follows his words. He almost doesn’t catch how it lasts a little longer than it should, as he stares at Naruto whose face is flushed pink. He splutters on the cigarette smoke as Naruto looks at him. Panic sets in, and he’s about ready to dismiss it as a joke. But, then, Naruto surprises him again. In the way only he can. </p><p>“A-are you being serious?,” Naruto says with sincerity. Shikamaru stares at him shocked, unsure of how to proceed - but he finds himself nodding. Entirely dumbfounded. </p><p>Before he can say anything more, Naruto is reaching over the chair and kissing Shikamaru like they’d just been fighting. He’s fisting the front of his shirt, pressing their lips together in a desperate attempt to contain his emotions. He can feel wet tears on his face, that he can tell is Naruto's and the whole thing feels like a frenzy. A kiss with too much tongue and teeth, so much passion that Shikamaru feels like he’s going to fall over. He has no time to think about anything before he finds himself leading. Kissing Naruto Uzumaki feels too good to stop, and when he thinks about doing anything other than this he pouts. </p><p>He’s not thinking, even a little. About why, or how, or when. He frankly, doesn’t care because there aren't many explanations for this moment other than the one that may be too good to be true. He doesn’t like to dwell on things these days, so when the Hokage kisses him with this much animal instinct - he doesn’t question it. In his head, he jokes about following orders. </p><p>It’s only when the two of them are running out of air to exchange does Naruto pull away. Only then does Shikamaru get a chance to look at Naruto for real, whose crying a little but smiling all the same. He feels Naruto's hand come around the back of his neck, bumping forehead and Shikamaru's heartbeat has never been this loud before. </p><p>“Tell me how you feel,” Naruto takes a deep breath, looking into Shikamaru's eyes with such earnestness he can barely breathe. He feels like he can’t move. “Be honest,” </p><p>Like he’s in trance, he does as he’s asked. Anything for Naruto, anyways. </p><p>“I’d do anything for you,” Shikamaru says, sighing a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Naruto giggles a little, kissing Shikamaru again - freely. He bumps noses with him as Shikamaru feels like he’s in some kind of dream. </p><p><br/>“I love you, Shikamaru Nara,” Naruto says with a sniffly voice “I have since we came back from the war,” Naruto says with a sigh. Then he shakes his head, and Shikamaru feels like his eyes are gonna fall out with how wide they are “Before that, but I figure it out after that but that's not important okay? So don’t focus on it, and focus on me,” Naruto says with a pout. The kind of expression that Shikamaru now knows it all about. </p><p>“You’re ridiculous, Lord Hokage,” Shikamaru says with a heartbeat that shatters his eardrums “What kind of Hokage falls in love with his advisor? Idiot,” Shikamaru mumbles. Naruto laughs at that, leaning his lips close before looking into Shikamaru's eyes. </p><p>“Well, does my advisor love me back?,” Naruto asks, voice sly. Shikamaru rolls his eyes, connecting their lips in another kiss before sighing. A smile might become a permanent fixture on his face. </p><p>“Well - it doesn’t make sense, but he does,” Shikamaru says with faux annoyance before smiling. Naruto giggles at that. </p><p>“Who cares if it makes sense, yanno?,” </p><p>He knows. </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>He really, really knows.</em>
  </b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>comments appreciated!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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